Niki's car, which makes Sullyoon feel even worse. Sitting in the back next to Jake, Wonyoung, and Yuna, she can feel the driver's furtive glances at her in the mirror.
When she was found by Jake, he wrote a message to his friends telling them to stay calm around her. They listened, guessing that the memories of her past life had hit their youngest sister too hard.
Jake gives Sullyoon a small smile as he takes her hand. The urge to care for her has grown stronger after seeing his past life. He hurt her, and he intends to make it up to her.
Although it's nothing compared to what Niki did to her. Seeing it and going through it again, it's no wonder the girl experienced trauma.
He can't look Niki in the eye.
Each of them feels guilty about what happened in their previous life. The image Jay showed them is the worst punishment he could have prepared for them.
He won.
Yuna looks sadly at Jake's hand as he takes her youngest sister's. She understands that he's trying to comfort her, but she still feels jealous. There's nothing worse than hidden feelings.
Sunghoon, sitting in the front, looks at the older boy, still unable to believe that it turned out that not only in their past life, but also in this one, they are brothers.
How is it possible that Jay, in the name of revenge, has messed up their modern lives so much?
His whole world has turned upside down. He can't accept that the person who raised him is not his real grandmother, but the woman who took care of him after she found him unconscious in the forest.
Niki's filthy rich family is also his family, but does that make him happy? He's not sure. Although he's always dreamed of having a complete family, it's hard for him to accept it now.
The thought of leaving his grandmother terrifies him. He will never do that! She will always be a member of his family, even if they are not related by blood.
Niki suddenly turns on some heavy music, making everyone jump in place.
Wonyoung looks at him with anger in her eyes.
- Please let me know next time you want to play your rock tunes. I almost had a heart attack!
Niki ignores her, frowning and still lost in thought. He looks once more at Sullyoon's sad face in the mirror and feels his heart break.
She can't stand the fact that in her past life he treated her like a monster. He tore her apart like a beast, showing her no mercy.
After what they've seen, can their relationship stay the same as before? Is that possible?
Jake is the first to be thrown out when they reach his house. The blond boy ruffles Sullyoon's hair, assuring her that she'll feel better soon. The back is freer as one person leaves.
- Can you turn down that blaring music? - Wonyoung attacks her friend again, but he doesn't listen to her. Sunghoon does it for him. - You can't even talk - the girl adds.
- What do you want to talk about? About how each of us was a monster in a previous life? - the twenty-year-old boy mutters under his breath.
- This is our previous life. Now each of us is different and it shouldn't affect the present. Inha was able to approach his former friends at Jay's request to hurt them. I would never do that - claims the nineteen-year-old girl. - First, I wouldn't even have the courage to hear that they are vampires.
Sullyoon huddles against the window, never taking her eyes off the passing landscape.
It's dark outside, the clock shows that it's already after 8 p.m.
- Where do you live, Sunghoon? Where should I take you? - Niki changes the subject, focusing on his found brother.
- Take me to my dormitory, near our university.
The rest of the ride is silent. Wonyoung doesn't pursue the subject any further when she realizes no one wants to talk.
"Thanks," Sunghoon says once they're on campus. " I think we all need to calm down now, think things through, so let's meet on Monday and talk," he adds as he gets out of the car. "See you later."
- Wait! - His hand freezes on the door before he closes it behind him. Wonyoung gets out of the car and walks over to the boy. - Give me your phone number. I want to contact you and meet this weekend. We need to discuss what we promised Jay.
Her face flushes, and it's unclear whether it's from the cold air or from Sunghoon's gaze fixed on her.
"Sure, let's meet," he replies, sending her a smile. He enters his number into her phone, which she immediately saves so it doesn't get deleted. "Well, we're in touch then," he adds before walking off toward the dorm.
Wonyoung smiles, signing his number "Most Handsome" and sits in the front next to Niki. She gives him a warning look as his fingers move to the player.
- Don't even think about turning up the music.
- If you don't like it, get out. Order a taxi - he replies coldly.
"If Sunghoon didn't live in the dorm, I would have gone to his place and wouldn't have asked you to take me home, friend," the girl says nervously.
- After finding out he's my little brother, I feel like protecting him from you. The thought that you were our poison in our previous life makes me dislike the fact that you're into him.
Sitting in the back, Yuna rolls her eyes, not wanting to listen to their argument.
- Can you shut up? My head is splitting - she says. - Wonyoung, don't talk nonsense that you'd go to Sunghoon's, because you still blush around him, and you, Niki, shut up and just take us home.
- As you order, boss - he tells her, driving off with a screech of tires.
***
Finding herself in front of the girls' house, the youngest sister is the first to leave the car, wanting to escape inside and lock herself in her room. Unfortunately, Niki won't let her, running after her and grabbing her hand. He holds her, not letting her go. She doesn't have the courage to turn to him and look him in the face, still replaying the nightmarish images in her head.
The twenty-year-old boy turns to the older sisters as they stand there, glaring at him:
- Give us a moment, please. I want to talk to Sullyoon alone.
- Can't you see she's scared? She's scared of you right now. Give her some time to recover. - Wonyoung plans to take her younger sister with her, but Niki is still stubborn.
- Please, I'd rather explain this now, before it's too late. I don't want Sullyoon to think about it for days and hate me completely.
Yuna places her hands on Wonyoung's shoulders.
- Let's let him. It's Niki. Who, if not him, takes the most care of our little dumpling? - she says, leading her sister to the entrance. - We're in front of the house, come on.
Sullyoon is furious with her sisters for leaving her alone with Niki, when she has made it clear to everyone that she doesn't want to talk right now. His presence causes her to panic, and she can't look at him.
- I know that what you saw was a traumatic experience for you, but please look at me, Sull. Overcome your fear and turn to me, to see my true face - he tells her in a soft voice.
The eighteen-year-old girl presses her lips together, still not wanting to do this. She wants to go home and be alone. That's what she needs most right now.
- I know it shouldn't be happening, but you're scaring me, Niki. I know it was our previous life, but those images continue to run through my head, that horrible pain I felt at that moment...
The girl is even more shocked when Niki pulls her with all her strength and hugs her from behind, placing his chin on her head. He holds her in his arms, not letting her go.
- It was you I protected the most from the beginning of our acquaintance. Maybe it was my subconscious, because of what I did to you in my previous life. Every time, I only thought that I would never let you get hurt. Perhaps you didn't notice it, but I always kept an eye on you. When something happened to you, I worried about you.
The teenager feels torn. Her heart beats anxiously, not because she is afraid, but because she is still madly in love with him, and his touch makes her want to burst into tears.
It's too much. All these emotions are boiling wildly inside her, making her mind even more confused.
- I know, Niki, that you have always taken care of me. It's not that I am afraid of you, but I am afraid of the images that I see in my head, especially when you are near me. I have to break it...
The first snow appears. Tiny flakes fall from the sky as Niki forces her around and cups her face in his hands, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"So break it. Do it now, because I'll go crazy if you avoid me," he says, never taking his eyes off her. She stares at him wide-eyed, fear gnawing at her as she remembers when he was so close to her, when he'd lunged for her throat. "Realize that this is me, the person who would never let you get hurt in this life. I'm Niki, your friend."
- Give me time, please. This is happening too fast. I'm confused by all this - the girl says in a whisper, feeling tears gathering behind her eyelids.
Niki feels hurt as he lets go of her, and looks at her with hurt eyes.
"So now you're going to be afraid of me? Avoid me because I'm a monster in your eyes because of my past life?" His face twists into a wry smile. "Great. Then I get a great thank you from you for all these years of protection, little one. You look back on what happened in the distant past, when each of us was a different person, rather than what I am now."
Sullyoon is more scared, when she sees his angry gaze directed at her, as he walks to the driver's side door. She rubs her arms, feeling tears streaming down her cheeks as she watches the older boy screech away.
What will happen to them now? Is this the end of their relationship?